Obsidian has opened a public test that lets you play Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire entirely with a controller, on Steam, GOG and Xbox on PC. The studio announced it on November 4, 2026, and GamingOnLinux reported that both updates are expected to reach everyone before the end of 2026.

What does the controller support cover?

According to Obsidian, the first Pillars of Eternity can now be played from start to finish with a gamepad. That includes character creation, exploration, combat in Real-Time with Pause and in Turn-Based Mode, conversations, inventory, crafting and enchanting, the Stronghold and the world map. Radial menus give quick access to abilities, spells and party commands.

Deadfire gets the same promise, from character creation to the end credits, including naval exploration and ship combat. Obsidian says its scheme builds on the one from the console edition, with radial menus and action bars for abilities, spells, items and party commands.

In both games, button prompts appear across the interface. You can switch back to mouse and keyboard at any time, and the interface follows whichever input you last used. Supported hardware is Xbox and PlayStation controllers, Steam Deck and Steam Big Picture mode, which includes the on-screen keyboard for naming characters and writing notes. Obsidian lists Deadfire’s controller support for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What else changes in the patches?

The test builds are Patch 1.3.10.0 for Pillars of Eternity and Patch 5.1.0.0 for Deadfire. The first game’s patch also carries Turn-Based Mode fixes for spells and combat, plus several interface and description fixes.

Deadfire gets a bigger package. Its Turn-Based Mode has been reworked, and Obsidian lists fixes for crashes, quests, combat, visuals, audio and the interface. Completed-game saves from Pillars of Eternity can now be transferred to Deadfire.

The Deadfire Turn-Based Mode changes include:

  • Turns follow each character’s speed, and Dexterity now decides how often a character acts instead of granting a Stride bonus.
  • Damage from all sources is increased by 35% globally.
  • Intellect’s effect on duration rises from ±5% to 10% per point.
  • First-turn initiative uses a default recovery of 4s, and initiative can never fall below 1.
  • Swapping weapon sets, drinking potions and toggling modals are free actions, limited to one use of each type per turn.
  • You can switch Turn-Based Mode on or off outside combat from the options menu, a new HUD button or the T key.

How do you join the public test?

On Steam, right-click the game in your Library, choose Properties, open the Betas tab and pick public_beta from the drop-down. If the update does not show up, Obsidian suggests restarting Steam.

On GOG, right-click the game, go to Manage Installation, then Configure, and choose Public Beta under Beta Channels.

On Xbox on PC, install the Xbox Insider Hub from the Store, open Previews, choose Pillars of Eternity, Hero Edition, select Join, and install from the Store once registration finishes.

Steam Deck players should open the game’s controller configuration, choose “Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad” (or “Gamepad” if the first is missing), apply the layout and check that inputs work before playing.

How much does it cost?

Neither source lists a price. The test is an update to the existing games, and the sources say nothing about charging for it. Check each game’s store page for current pricing.

Who it suits

  • Steam Deck and handheld players: the controller layouts are aimed squarely at you, and the Deadfire scheme is based on the console version.
  • Couch and living room players: Steam Big Picture mode is supported, including the on-screen keyboard.
  • Returning fans: the Turn-Based Mode changes and the save transfer to Deadfire may be reason enough to opt in.
  • Anyone who wants a stable game: wait for the final release, because Obsidian warns that a public test can contain bugs.

What is still unknown?

Obsidian gives no end date for the test and says it will run for some time while the studio keeps updating it. GamingOnLinux’s report names only “before the year is up” as the release target, with no exact date. Neither source lists specific known issues, and neither says whether the Steam Deck rating of either game will change.

Obsidian asks testers to send feedback through support.obsidian.net or the official Discord server. If you try the beta, that is the place to report bugs, and the studio’s announcement page has the full patch notes.